Get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of Louisville’s longest running, most intense haunted attraction, The Haunted Hotel, on the eve of their 25th haunting season!
At the time of this publishing, The Haunted Hotel at 3000 S 4th Street is scheduled to open for its 25th consecutive Halloween season tonight on Friday, Sept. 11 at 9 PM. I paid them a visit last night and watched as the crew scrambled about checking the wiring, testing the props, adjusting the lighting and putting the final coats of black paint on unfinished areas in an attempt to make sure everything was ready for their first victims of the season.
There’s a proud tradition of merciless terror at The Haunted Hotel and, by God, they mean to uphold it.
“We try to make this clear outside before you even get in the door,” says owner/operator Kevin Stich, “You’re going to get a little choked. You’re going to get a little wet. You’re going to hear a little cussing inside.”
Does this mean “touching” is allowed at The Haunted Hotel? Yes, in fact, it’s mandatory.
The Haunted Hotel prides itself on being a complete physical experience and Stich gave me a tour of some of the insidious devices used to deliver the simulated gut punches.
“We installed new valves in the elevator scene,” says Stich, “so the elevator is much angrier this year, if you will.”
Prepare yourself to get a little wet in several different “shock spray” scenes and expect to get blasted by fog from above and below in the disorienting maze. Also brace yourself for unexpected electrical shocks and sudden, blaringly loud noises that will make your ears bleed. All of these effects are put to use to shatter your nerves before the actors even get their blood stained hands on you.
So you can go home crying to mommy if The Haunted Hotel gives you nightmares that last all year. Just don’t go crying to me that I didn’t warn you what to expect before you bought that ticket.
“Thematically, what we did this year was to tear down all the scenes that didn’t carry through with the hotel theme and rebuild, repaint and rework them so that the entire house’s interior is consistent,” admits Stich. “In years past, we experimented with Nazi themed rooms and other things, but I wanted to bring it all together so that the story makes sense. This is a hotel where the crazies have taken over and are running the hotel in a way that makes perfect sense to them.”
Stich also gave us an EXCLUSIVE scoop on a brand new experience he’ll be bringing to The Haunted Hotel next year after the haunt season is over. If you’re familiar with the new concept of Escape Rooms popping up all over the country like the one that opened recently here in town, Breakout Louisville (http://www.breakoutlouisville.com/), you’ll have some idea of what to expect.
“We’ve partnered with a locksmith company,” says Stich, “but unlike other Escape Rooms that give you an hour to figure out how to escape from one room, we’ll be using the entire Haunted Hotel and your group will have certain time limit challenges to get from room to room as you work together to solve a bigger mystery and escape from the Haunted Hotel.”
Sounds cool, huh?
If you plan on checking into The Haunted Hotel this season, be sure to check out some of the crazy masks worn by the goons stalking the lines in the front yard, all of which were designed and created by Stich and his General Manager’s, Kristen Warf, Sinister FX masks and props company.
The Haunted Hotel will be open Friday and Saturday nights for the rest of September from 9 PM until 2 AM, expanding to Thursdays through Sundays from 8 PM until 2 AM (or Midnight on some days) in October through Halloween. General Admission is $20 and a VIP skip-the-line pass is $29.
